Stamford Street Allotment Society December 2025 Newsletter No. 3

Welcome to the December Newsletter!

Welcome to the December edition of the Stamford Street Allotment Society Newsletter. We are delighted to share another update of the exciting developments and community achievements. This year has been remarkable for our allotment family — from earning a Level 5 RHS award for thriving sustainability and biodiversity to coming together over new projects that benefit everyone on site.

Our allotment continues to grow not just in plants and produce, but in friendships, collaboration, and community spirit. This newsletter highlights some wonderful progress — including the communal greenhouse installation, engaging educational partnerships with Cheshire College students, the transformation of our wildflower garden, and much more.

We would also like to take a moment to reflect on the passing of a much-loved member of our community. In remembering Noel, we are reminded of the strength of the supportive and caring network we’ve built together.

As always, we thank each of you for your dedication, enthusiasm, and ongoing contributions — whether tending plots, volunteering at events, or simply offering a friendly hello on site. You’re what makes Stamford Street Allotment such a welcoming and thriving place.

RHS Award

We’re thrilled to announce that Stamford Street Allotment Society has risen from a Level 4 award last year to achieving Level 5 this year!

This top accolade recognises our members’ dedication to sustainable gardening, biodiversity, and creating a welcoming, thriving community space. Every plot, every effort, and every member’s contribution has helped us reach this outstanding milestone and the committee would like to thank you all for making this happen!

A huge thank you to all our members and supporters – this achievement is yours as much as ours!

RHS Award - Level 5

Communal Greenhouse Update!

Exciting developments are underway at Stamford Street Allotment Society as we have begun erecting the new communal greenhouse for all tenants to use. This shared space will provide a fantastic opportunity for members to grow plants, vegetables, and flowers together, It is so much easier when we can look after each other’s seedlings and water them.

There are ongoing discussions about using the greenhouse as an on-site nursery, where tenants can grow seedlings and plants to sell, with the proceeds helping to fund the Society’s future projects and improvements. To support this, we have already invested in a contactless payment machine, allowing us to take online card payments and make transactions as convenient as possible for our members and visitors.

Over the next couple of months, the Perspex panels will be installed, and the greenhouse will be fully set up and ready for use.

Cheshire College Collaborate Project

Phil working with the students

Stamford Street Allotment Society is working in collaboration with Silke Novak and students from Cheshire College – South & West, supported by £2,000 funding from the Police SWAP (Safer West Cheshire Action Partnership) Fund. This funding has enabled the allotments to provide meaningful, hands-on opportunities for students to support their local community while developing valuable construction and design skills.

The funding has been used to work closely with Level 1 Bricklaying students, giving them tangible, real-world experience beyond the classroom. The students’ enthusiasm, resilience, and teamwork have already made a positive impact on the site.

In addition to the bricklaying work, students studying surveying, design, and planning have also become involved in the project. Another update highlighted how Design, Surveying & Planning project experience has started for students building a better future in construction with the Stamford Street Allotment. This work is helping shape the future development of the site while giving students invaluable experience in professional planning and design processes.

Further inspiration has come from work experience surveyor and designer students, who were praised for arriving early, communicating well, and working efficiently as a team. As noted in a LinkedIn post. These designs will play an important role in guiding future improvements and ensuring the allotments continue to develop the allotments.

Stamford Street Allotment Society is extremely grateful to the Police for their support through the SWAP Fund, and to Silke and all the students from Cheshire College – South & West for their dedication, hard work, and professionalism. This partnership is a strong example of how community funding, education, and collaboration can come together to create positive outcomes for both students and the wider local community.

Wildflower Garden

Celine and Farhan recently visited Chester Zoo and attended a series of training sessions to learn how to create and manage a wildflower garden. The aim of this training is to help us develop our own wildflower meadow at the back of the allotments.

For many years, this area has been maintained as a well-kept lawn. However, we have now decided to let nature take its course and transform the space into a wildflower meadow to encourage bees and other wildlife.

The first step in this process was to remove a significant portion of the oak tree, which had become overgrown and posed a potential risk to the surrounding area. The fruit trees were then carefully pruned back. All of the dead wood from this work was reused to create a dead hedge around the perimeter of the wildflower garden, providing valuable habitat for insects and small animals.

With the trees now properly maintained, the next stage is to mow the lawn and remove all green waste to create a blank slate for the meadow. Wildflowers thrive best in nutrient-poor soil, as this helps prevent grass from dominating. The ground will then be scarified before sowing yellow rattle seed. Yellow rattle is a semi-parasitic plant that attaches itself to established grass, reducing its growth and creating space for wildflowers to flourish.

Winter Inspection Update

We would like to inform you that the winter inspections have now been completed across the site. Overall, there were no significant issues identified, which is a real credit to everyone. This positive outcome reflects the hard work and commitment of our tenants in maintaining their plots and contributing to the general upkeep of the allotments. Thank you for your continued efforts, particularly during the winter months.

The main point we would like everyone to remain mindful of is keeping paths clear of weeds. Clear pathways are important for accessibility, safety, and the overall appearance of the site. We kindly ask that tenants regularly check and maintain the paths adjacent to their plots.

New items purchased

We are pleased to let tenants know that another flat-pack storage container has now been purchased to store communal items for use on the allotment site. Thank you to those tenants who helped to move the container and build it. All communal equipment is kept securely in a locked container. If you wish to borrow or hire any items, please speak to Phil, who manages access and bookings. We have also purchased a water pump, electric generator, and a compressor for heavy-duty work. These items are available to borrow by speaking to Phil.

In addition, Christine Brown from Ellesmere Port In Bloom operates a tool library that we may also be able to hire items from if required. To hire any gardening equipment, whether on site or through the tool library, please speak to Phil in the first instance.

A full list of equipment available to hire can be viewed on the secure portal in the members’ area of the group.

These resources will help support tenants with larger tasks while ensuring shared equipment is well managed and accessible.

Passing of Noel Murphy

We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of Noel Murphy. Noel will be fondly remembered, and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this very difficult time. A tribute page has been created for anyone who would like to leave a message, share memories, or pay their respects.

For those who did not know him, Noel was one of the long-standing tenants at Stamford Street Allotment Society and a much-loved presence on site. He was often seen arriving on his bike, music playing, with a smile on his face. Many of us have fond memories of Noel greeting everyone cheerfully in his chirpy melodic Irishness. Whether your tomatoes had wilted, your potatoes had blight, or your brassicas had been eaten by caterpillars, Noel was always ready with friendly advice and a kind word of course, with some profanities mixed into the advice.

Noel will be remembered as a cheerful, chirpy, and friendly man who could brighten anyone’s day. The sight of Noel cycling up Princess Road with his music playing will stay in the memories of many within our community.

At the same time, Noel’s passing is a stark reminder of why the community we have built is so important. We look out for one another, and when we lose someone to mental health struggles and suicide, it naturally leads us to reflect and ask whether there is more we can do to support each other.

Following conversations with tenants, a number of ideas have been suggested that we would like to explore further and seek funding for. Once these plans are more developed, we will share them with both Noel’s family and the wider allotment community. Thank you to everyone who has already contributed ideas and thoughts.

If anyone would like to share further suggestions or ideas, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Upcoming Jobs

We have identified several outstanding jobs around the allotment that we aim to complete over the next few months. Rather than trying to do everything at once, we will select a feasible job to focus on at each coffee morning and gradually chip away at the list.

Whether you can help with manual tasks or assist by making teas and coffees for those doing the heavy lifting, any contribution is greatly appreciated. Together, we can maintain and improve our allotment for everyone’s benefit.

Outstanding Jobs:

• Remove old woodchip around containers, toilet, and other structures on Plot 17a; replace with fresh woodchip or durable mulch (e.g., gravel).

• Build fencing:

  • Between Plot 16b and the orchard access path.

  • Between Plots 13a and 14a, from the tarmac path up to Plots 13b/14b.

• Re-set flagstones along the orchard access path (Plots 16–17), ensuring a minimum width of 60cm; use spoil from college plinth build if needed.

• Lift and re-lay slabs on Plot 3a where uneven; clean gaps, remove soil/weeds, and re-point with either kiln-dried sand (short-term) or polymeric sand (long-term).

• Complete perimeter pointing of paving on Plot 3a with sand-cement mix.

• Repair damaged tarmac path adjacent to Plot 9 with cold-lay tarmac/sealer; install a root control barrier to prevent Sea buckthorn regrowth.

Upcoming Events

Thank you in advance for your time, effort, and support – every little bit helps to keep our allotments safe, accessible, and enjoyable for everyone.

Here is a list of upcoming events so far:

21st Dec - Secret Santa (information below) 11am

1st Feb - Coffee Morning 11am

1st March - Coffee Morning 11am

5th April - Coffee Morning 11am

7th June - AGM 11am

Secret Santa

Instead of our usual coffee morning on the first Sunday of December, the allotment community will be holding a Secret Santa on Sunday 21st December at 11am.

🎁 Budget: up to £10 If you’d like to take part, simply buy a gift costing no more than £10 and bring it along.

There will be festive nibbles and drinks to enjoy, and you’re very welcome to bring your own alcohol, snacks, or other treats.

For more information, please message Viv or Sue.

We hope you can join us for some festive fun!